He real Madrid faces Las Palmas on Thursday in the third round of LaLiga. For now, Kylian Mbappé He has yet to score his first goal in this competition. He has gone two games without scoring, but this drought does not worry him at all. Carlo Ancelottias the Italian coach explained in a press conference.
“Mbappé is progressing very well, I see him getting better every day, excited, motivated, eager, he trains well, he is very humble, I think he is adapting very well,” he added of the Frenchman. “I think the last goal he scored was on August 14, He hasn’t scored in two weeks and I don’t think it’s enough time to worry.nor is he worried, although he obviously wants to score in the next match,” he said.
“Only three games have passed and We have scored six goals although the team is not at its best. I don’t think there will be a problem with goals, that has never happened,” he stressed.
Regarding the fatigue of his players, one of the most topical issues regarding the white team at the start of this season, Carlo Ancelotti said: “The idea regarding the players is not to make many changes until the first break. Then, when the Champions League starts, we will have a much tighter schedule, and we can think about rotating the team a bit.”
The Italian also pointed out that “No” he had spoken to his players about the need to ask for a change if they are tired and that his words the other day in this regard after the match against Valladolid had not been “absolutely a warning to anyone and, as it has been interpreted.”
“As the game against Mallorca was not a wake-up call for the team. I have discussed a topic with them that I think is important.“I have expressed my opinion on the match against Mallorca, without pointing the finger at anyone, it is simply an assessment that we are making and nothing more because I believe that we are the most critical in trying to always find the best possible solution,” he said.
The coach of the current European champions insisted that they cannot stop being “a compact team” and that to achieve this “the work of the forwards is as important as that of the defenders.” “It is a more general issue than just individuals or lines”he warned.
He joked about Fede Valverde saying that he had asked him for “30 goals.” “He is progressing, taking on more and more importance in this team with each game, He is starting to become a leader in the locker room and has to take the position that Kroos, Casemiro or Nacho had. Because it is very important for us to have a clean, serious and motivated environment, and he is an example,” he said.
For Ancelotti, “every year the challenge changes” for him because “every year the structure of the team changes a little.” “It’s quite normal, we also needed time last year, when we won many games at the beginning in the last minutes. It’s going to be a bit difficult for us this year too.“We have to adapt the team well and put in the best version. It’s something quite normal that happens every year,” he clarified.
Regarding the match against UD Las Palmas, the Reggiolo native expects “a competitive match as always.”I think that the League at this moment is showing very competitive and intense matches.despite the heat and these being the first games of the season. This Thursday will be the same, an intense game and I think an open one because Las Palmas is a team that wants and likes to play,” he warned.
The Italian avoided answering the fact that FC Barcelona was able to register Dani Olmo due to the long-term absence of Andreas Christensen. “I think it’s a question for LaLiga, taking into account that we respect all the clubs.all the players and all the decision-makers,” he said.
Finally, Ancelotti began his press conference by expressing his condolences for the Uruguayan player Juan Izquierdo and, above all, for the Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson, “a great coach” for whom he had a “particular affection” because he was his coach at AS Roma.He was a great person, I think he was a reference for many of us.especially since they have been lucky enough to work with him, and also an inspiration,” he confessed.
